Interessar (interesting)...

“Perhaps it is our perennial fate to be surprised by the simultaneity of events, by the sheer extension of the world in time and space. That we are here, prosperous, safe, unlikely to go to bed hungry or be blown to pieces this evening, while elsewhere in the world, right now in Grozny, in Najaf, in the Sudan, in the Congo, in Gaza, in the favelas of Rio....To be a traveler—and novelists are often travelers—is to be constantly reminded of the simultaneity of what is going on in the world, your world and the very different world you have visited and from which you have returned home.”

--Susan Sontaq--

Posso reservar um quarto? ( can I book a room)

The steel grates on the windows at this hotel slide down to keep unwanted visitors out at night. Don't get any ideas about hanging out your laundry either, hanging laundry from a window is illegal in Brazil..

Hotels in Rio de Janeiro...interesting to say the least. Much like in Moscow, the hotels in Rio have a box in the hall where one simply drops their room key before going out. This serves two purposes. The first - you never lose your key, the second - if you get robbed or kidnapped, your assailant can't gain access to the hotel. Seems logical.

The other interesting thing about hotels in Rio..as you quickly learn when traveling alone...if you are staying in the hotel and you bring a guest back to the establishment, you MUST sign said guest both in and out, in addition you must personally escort them past security if they are to leave. This rule, followed by many of the nicer hotels, stems from foreign visitors bringing back "company" only to be found days later by the hotel staff in nothing more than a pool of blood and a slit in the throat. Don't let the dark pentameter fool you though...I was treated with the utmost respect in the hotel I was at - I didn't do anything stupid though either..

Serene beaches and a delicate mist moving out over the mountains. Rio was seductive, almost elusive,unparraled beauty contrasted with the cold black tickle of violence, danger and deceipt..
Cariocas roam the city like ants on a picnic blanket - every person walks with a swift pace..Rio was dirty, beautiful...sexy.


With sin around every corner, God is a sign of enduring strength - temptation leads excess and excess is something the locals of Rio de Janeiro no nothing about. Lust is gospel here and the one thing the locals will not deny themselves - to love is to be rich in the eyes of one another.

Copacabana Beach, Rio de Janeiro. Beautiful white sand and not a cloud in the sky. I could think of a lot worse ways to spend an idle Tuesday afternoon.

Through the small neighborhood Favellas and almost to Rio de Janeiro.. This small inland pond served as both bath and cooking water for those in its adjacent housing...at least the sun is shining and the weather is a cool 80 degrees. Next stop Rio...

Welcome to Brazil..

Months of plannng finally crystalize into one hell of an adventure. These photos were taken about 35 miles ouside of Rio de Janeiro. Carioca to the heart, my taxi driver ushers my warm American body as quicky as he can to a city of sin, violence and extreme poverty..